Exploding the myths about sleep - and silence

The biggest story on the BBC News website for the past few days has been “The myth of the eight hour sleep” – surpassed by “Segmented sleep – ten strange things people do at night”. The first article discussed how the “ideal” night’s sleep hasn’t always consisted of a single eight-hour chunk – in previous times and cultures, people were used to sleeping for four hours, wake for two, and then return to sleep. The second profiled people who thrive on waking in the night, and show how their unusual sleep patterns can actually bring them peace, clarity, and an edge to their lives that was missing when they tried to conform to the expected societal norms of sleep.